Lambeth Council Case Study

Lambeth Council is a local government authority responsible for providing services to the residents and businesses of the borough of Lambeth in London, UK. With a population of over 330,000 people, the Council plays a critical role in maintaining the borough's diverse and vibrant communities. The Council enlisted the services of Understanding Solutions to integrate a leisure website and app into their digital infrastructure, which required a Digital Delivery team to oversee the project.

Client Overview

Lambeth Council is a local government authority in London, UK, responsible for providing services and facilities to the residents and businesses of the borough of Lambeth. The council's main priorities include delivering high-quality education, housing, social care, and environmental services to the local community. With a population of over 330,000 people, Lambeth is one of the most densely populated areas in London, and the council plays a vital role in maintaining the borough's diverse and vibrant communities. In this context, the Lambeth Council works in close collaboration with local residents, community organisations, and other stakeholders to address the borough's challenges and enhance the quality of life for all.

The Challenge

During a discovery meeting with Amanda Stevens, Lambeth Council’s Assistant Director of Digital, it was revealed that the London Borough of Lambeth urgently needed to integrate a leisure website and app into their digital infrastructure. However, due to a shortage of in-house resources and internal capacity, the Council required a Digital Delivery team to oversee the external build agency, protect the Council's digital interests, and ensure timely and cost-effective project completion while adhering to the set scope.

The Solution

Understanding Solutions was commissioned to provide a Digital Delivery team that could manage the external build agency, safeguard the Council's digital interests, and ensure on-time, within-budget, and within-scope project delivery.

Understanding Solutions proposed a two-phased approach, beginning with a rapid discovery phase to build a rough project roadmap followed by a second phase to refine the roadmap and maintain project momentum. To facilitate this, a Digital Project Manager was deployed as an Associate to work remotely with occasional in-person visits to the Council’s office.

Results

The website and app were successfully delivered within six months, under budget and ahead of the end date, exceeding the expectations of Lambeth Council.

The Council was pleased with the outcome, prompting them to continue their collaboration with Understanding Solutions. The same Associate who led the initial project has since been assigned to lead to an additional initiative for the Council: A Data Discovery Roadmap.

Key Outcomes 

• Scaled a team within 48 hours
• Provided total flexibility of the deployed skills
• Upskilled all Barnardo’s employees
• Contributed to creating a DevOps culture in Barnardo’s